Description:My porch/deck has a view of the Hudson River.
The house is high on a hill and when conditions are right the sunsets are spectacular. Sitting on the deck on a wood rocking chair and a glass of wine is pure therapy!

Sunset over the Palisades-------------------------------------------

Sunset over the Palisades

Sitting on my porch,
In my rocking chair,
A glass of wine in my hand
A cool westerly breeze
In my hair
And the hanging ribbons
of a Willow Tree
Shading my eyes.

Walls of slate and sediment,
Chiseled, carved by slabs of ice
That centuries ago
sculpted out a swath,
A huge Path; the
Hudson valley.

Watching the lazy current
Meander, white sails
Bob and sway, as
They are carried along.

The river reflects the
Tinted red rich texture of
The shear striated walls
Of the palisades.

The sky is a palette of
Colors.
The Sun's arms,
Tendrils of light and hue,
Reach out across the sky.

Iím Looking into
The face of God.

Feeling the awe, the wonder,
And asking the age old
Questions about life,
Our place in the universe,
And the grand scheme.

I am still, serene, tranquil.
A sense of peace, wholeness
Has taken hold of me.
I am one with the river,
The Palisades, the Beautiful
Orange ball now disappeared
Leaving itís afterglow in the Sky,
And in my soul.

Steve This is a beautiful write where you really capture the essence and beauty of New York As you know i am back visiting My Mom in Jersey I havent been back to the east coast in 8 years This is my Home And always will be Tonight I am going to see the Rangers destroy the Lightning God Its Great to be Back Home God Bless Your Friend Ron

Steve, Very nice, I am still seeing the hanging ribbons of the willow, no not that one...that one over there.

The sun reaching down with its tendrils of light reminds me of a beautiful sunset just about a million sunsets ago as Queen Nefertiti stood with her daughter Ankhesanamen on the white marble balcony at her vacation villa across the Nile from the main palace in Amarna.

A light breeze was gently wafting the delicate silk curtains behind them, then it lightly caressed the face of the most beautiful queen of all time.

Here at the villa, she did not need to shield her eyes as she usualy did watching the sun rise each morning from the palace and could stare more thoughtfully into it.

Nefertiti wonderd if that splendid orange disk was in fact the god of her husband or not.

Or was God perhaps by another river on the other side of the world where there were no pyramids, no sphinx and no stone temples of the gods, but stone palisades that God himself, not the pharaohs who preceded her husband, had carved with His very own hands.

amazing Steve, i love the "Leaving itís afterglow in the Sky And in my soul." the majestic beauty of your surroundings and contemplating God and the meaning of life sounds like a perfect day to me. very heartwarming and soul Grabbing poem you are truly blessed in your outlook. this must be a favorite...mike :)

wow steve this is unreal , i was transported there i could feel the wind in my hair its so beautiful , i love the words you use to describe the sky its so vivid in my minds eye , A truly beautiful piece. unfortnatly for me i have to come back down to earth to the reality of were i am with the many houses and the traffic noise passing me by. take care Lainie x

Ahhhh...how lovely! This is wonderfully written and nicely detailed to provide the reader with some really good visuals! Peaceful, relaxing and serene, an escape from stress and tension to just sit and watch, drinking wine, absorbing all the beauty that is before you. Just awesome! And I like the added mention of the willow tree with its "hanging ribbons". I have always admired those trees for the elegance and beauty they have. I love the sunrise and sunset and any time you can combine them with water surroundings you can expect some true visual enjoyment! I live near the ocean and make every effort to capture this magnificent experience whenever I can. I love how the colors of light reflect off the water. Ahhhh...thanks a bunch for giving me some warm sunset thoughts this morning! Much appreciated! This is a very good poem! Well written! Take care! Lorna

"Looking into the face of God..." how true. nature can have such an affect on us that way. it's beauty and serenity can soothe the weary soul. this was beautiful and serene. i could see it in my mind's eye as i read it. thank you, @ Cat

I loved this, it was truly beautiful. I once watched the sunset over the Hudson river, it was spectacular. It seemed as if you pulled me into a painting. I really liked how you described the sun as a huge orange ball. When I see beautiful things such as sunsets and other things I wonder how the world can just pass them by, Do they even glance into the heavens above them? When I see something beautiful, even if its the most common of things, I put my life in slow motion just to take that beauty and store it in my mind. Well I'm starting to babble so I just wanted to say this was outstanding!

i believe that we are blessed for witnessing these miracles...these sunsets that happen everyday and yet not many appreciate. you know what is also breathtaking? sunsets over mountain tops. my aunt had a house that was built infront of a mountain and every evening when the sunset...it was spectacular... great piece! love the colors and mood created with your words...

Breathtaking! I could "feel" myself taking in the serene and beautiful scene you've described here. Sometimes that's all we need.. just a peaceful place to unwind. Thank you for allowing me to unwind with you as we don't have near as lovely a place here.

You had me taken in by your first stanza.. and by the last I was in a dream world, smiling and sipping on a glass of chardonnay, taking in the beauty around me.

This poem itself is peaceful and serene. Wonderful title, so befitting to this write.

Steve I watched the sunset on the Palisades and it was nice, but what you have created here is beautiful. This sunset on the Palisades blows my memory of it to shreds. So visual, so colorful and detailed. You have left no doubt to the beauty of this scene... Very pleasing read Lisa

This piece was therapy just to read for a moment! I love nature and the effect it has on a person's mood and thoughts. You did a marvelous job of describing your surroundings and giving the reader a vivid mental picture. I loved, "The sky is a palette of Colors. The Sun's arms, Tendrils of light and hue Reach out across the sky, Iím Looking into the face of God." Just poignant, truthful and spiritual! Love,Peace,Joy! tif ; )

Too cool! I could actually close my eyes and feel like I was there. I could see the color, hear the river, the rustle of the weeping willow leaves. This was very well written. It has a way of just lazily moving the reader along, allowing us to soak up the colors and feels. Very nicely done. I rated it a five!